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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

The Groove continued in
Fayetteville Friday night. Poetic Justice again graced the stage at Common Grounds.
In its fifth incarnation, we the audience
were treated to heartfelt sentiments, raw emotion and the strength of courage.
Poetic Justice 5 did not have the quantity of Poetic Justice 4 but it did have
the quality. The MCs for the night,
Leora Jackson and Jared Carter, are stalwarts of the Poetic Justice stage. Familiar faces in familiar places.

The whole idea behind the Poetic
Justice open mic nights, according to founder Leora Jackson, is to give people a
platform to discuss important issues that matter. Whether that discussion comes
out in poetry, song, monologues, readings of something relevant, or just
speaking off the cuff. Participants that grace the stage discuss a wide range
of subjects from very personal matters to issues that affect society’s outsiders
to issues of the 99%. Some comments are direct. Some make great use of
metaphor. Clever wordplay is the order of the night.

Pam DeRossitte, our first brave
soul, came to the stage to perform “A Time To Learn”. It was an original piece
about racism and the ignorance surrounding it. She relates a tale of self-discovery
that begins at a very early age and progresses with innocence (and stupidity)
until the proverbial wool is pulled from her eyes. She had no real concept of
racism, segregation, racial turmoil, etc. til then. One personal take-away from
her piece is that people should realize that just because something has always
been doesn’t mean it should always be.

Roslyn Imrie

Jared Carter returned to the
stage as a performer bringing his perspective to the issues of the day. He
started with an untitled piece that touched on the dangers of just being Black
in the wrong place, at the wrong time, dressed contrary to what you’re supposed
to. Through the night, he entertained, educated and intrigued us with various
other original works. One called “Be Sweet” was an ode to his daughters.
Another piece lamented the evils of technology. In between all of that, he also
found time to encourage the crowd to join in and participate.

Next to the stage came poetess,
Roslyn Imrie. Her piece was called “Totem”. Self-described as an
autobiographical piece, “Totem” was wave after wave of vocal ups and downs. Intermittent
pace. Emphasize and de-emphasis. The power of her words reached out to the
audience in both tone and cadence.

As Roslyn left the stage, there
was a ruckus in the crowd.

Granny Jones-Pull your Pants up

We all turned to see an elderly lady making her way
through the audience to the stage.
Escorted by L.I.F.E. – Life In Front
of Everything, our intrepid mystery
woman stepped gingerly on they stage and introduced herself. Call her Granny
Jones, she said. She told us she was sent by Leora Jackson to “say a few
words”. Kind of reminds me of quite a few grandmas that I’ve seen over my
lifetime. Granny Jones used her stage time to point out what I consider to be
one of the great tragedies of our day. She spoke of how much was sacrificed by
so many for freedom, education and equality of black people yet the benefits
are not being taken advantage of. Yes there are still battles to be fought but
by using the gains already made we can keep moving forward. Leora’s second
stage incarnation, Granny Jones, offered the audience a reminder and a call to
action. We must not squander what was so
painfully won.

L.I.F.E. (Stacy Harper) brought
her considerable talent to the stage next. Her experience as a life coach has
given her a wealth of fodder for her enlightening prose. This new piece was
titled “Midnight Moments”. We all listened intently as she read and sang her
encouraging message. There are times in our life when things are not going
well. Our positivity is low. Its too easy to fall into that trap. We are all
special and significant. It’s best not to forget that.

Stacy "LIFE" Harper

Newcomers were a big part of Poetic Justice 5.
Another one of those newcomers, Julie, came to the stage next. She read an
original piece called “Playing Hooky”. It was a tale about teen angst and their
need for support/unconditional love. That support may not always come from
biological family but people we choose to be our family.

Julie

Pam came back to the stage to
share more of her heart with us. This time it was to remind and challenge us about
the tragedy of Trayvon Martin. In her pink hoodie of solidarity, she spoke of
the injustice that was done, the effects on those Trayvon left behind and how
so little has changed since. She invoked the #BlackLivesMatter mantra.
Vigilance and action are key. Ignoring and inaction are deadly.

Cherokee Lann

After another piece from our
fearless leader, Cherokee Lann came to the stage to perform his original work,
“Expiration Date”. Cherokee is a very expressive performer. His vocal range and
intensity adds a lot to his written word. He brings you more and more into his
frantic, tortured world with each successive line. His cadence and pitch were
on point to the point of hypnotism. You felt his pain, lamented his plight.
It’s one example of what writing from the heart can accomplish.

Danette

Danette Simmons, reluctant
newcomer, found the courage to grace the stage. Thankfully so because she read
a poignant piece about a person growing up in a tragic situation, seeing the
worse that life has to offer. However, somehow, that same person is able to
grow up to be a very loving, caring and helpful. We have no control over where
we are born or to whom. We have no control over those around us. We can only
try to be the best person that we can be.

What’s a night of Poetic Justice
without song? Thankfully, we didn’t have to find out. Two new brave souls came
to the stage to entertain us with song, Amanda and Tia. Amanda had made an
announcement earlier about a showing of a documentary about an African American
composer from Arkansas name Florence B. Price (look her up) that will be shown
on AETN on Nov. 16. Tia chose to perform India Arie’s “I Am Ready For Love” in
acapella.

Amanda

Tia Ade

Amanda did a selection from the works of Florence B. Price on which
she collaborated with the famous poet, columnist,
dramatist, essayist, novelist and songwriter Langston Hughes. Both ladies were
talented and brought the audience to their feet.

All in all, another successful
night for Poetic Justice. If you keep missing it, stop. Get yourself to the
next one. Come have your soul stirred, your spirit lifted, your views
challenged or confirmed, your mind entertained, your heart touched. It’s a time
and place for learning, self-discovery, sharing and community. Even if you
don’t want to actually get on stage, there’s room for you in the audience. See
you there. Peace.